Inaugural year for the Honors College

The inaugural year for the Honors College at East Carolina University has come to an end.  Our students, faculty, staff, and partners, have built an incredible foundation over these past two semesters.  New and innovative courses were launched, diverse and multidisciplinary seminars were delivered, and students engaged in a wide array of service and leadership experiences in their communities.  As the College delivered these experiences to our current students, we also launched the first full recruitment and admissions process for the incoming class of fall 2011.  This effort resulted in more than 100 new students joining the Honors College in August.

The College experienced a tremendous number of successes this past year.  In August, we hosted our inaugural Honors College Convocation.  This event featured remarks from Chancellor Ballard, Provost Sheerer, and others, and served as a milestone event for the Honors College.  Each of the freshmen students had the opportunity to meet with senior administrators and friends of the university in a reception that followed the event.  Our EC Scholars program continued to engage in strong partnerships around the region and contributed significant amounts of service to the local Golden Living Center and the Children’s Hospital at Pitt County Memorial Hospital.  The freshman class was fortunate to have a private audience with New York Times best-selling author and ECU alumnus, Tommy Spaulding.  In April, The Honors College relocated to the historic Mamie Jenkins Building and held a rededication event hosted by the chancellor.  Throughout the year, a number of our faculty and students received university and national awards and recognitions.  Finally, we congratulated 42 Honors students and 16 EC Scholars as they graduated from the university this past month.

As we look forward to the next academic year, there is much to be excited about.  Interim Dean and Chancellor Emeritus Richard Eakin is leading an incredible team of faculty and staff who are committed to delivering an experience second-to-none for each of our students.  As we continue to upgrade the facilities available to Honors students, our living-learning community is relocating this summer to Garrett Hall, just steps away from Mamie Jenkins.  Additionally, the student library space within Mamie Jenkins is being upgraded to include more technology and support for our students.  Our programs are growing stronger as we continue to pursue new partnerships and strengthen existing ones.  As we embark on the summer months and finalize planning for the upcoming year, we will continue to work hard to identify unique and exciting opportunities for our Honors College students.  We hope you will keep up with our progress by following us online or by planning a visit to the Mamie Jenkins Building so you can see the incredible space that is now fully functional for the Honors College.

On behalf of all of us at the Honors College, thank you for taking an interest in our new program for talented undergraduate students.  We truly believe that we are making an important impact to these students, our university, the region, and the state.  Should you be in a position to support the Honors College as a partner, mentor, or contributor, please never hesitate to be in touch.

Kevin Baxter
Associate Dean of the Honors College

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